The Prairie Squares Dance Club was a local square dancing club that was formed in 1951. Partnered couples met regularly to sashay, swing, and do-si-do. This local club fostered community relations and provided a space for square dance lovers to connect and show off their skills. However, the Prairie Squares created a project that reached well beyond the local community and created international connections for the group.
In 1964 club member Francis Koffler carved a nearly 1-foot-tall statue of a trumpeter swan out of birch as a symbol for the club. The trumpeter swan was chosen because Grande Prairie is a major nesting area for the species. The likeness of the beautiful statue was even adopted as the official emblem of the City of Grande Prairie for several years. The swan made by Mrs. Koffler was not just a statue, but a trophy with a mission. In 1964, the Prairie Squares let the bird take flight by awarding it to the couple who travelled the furthest to attend their Windup Jamboree. From there, the winning couple was to take the swan back to their home club where they would hold another dance and give the swan to the couple who drove the furthest to attend it. The bird was to be returned to Grande Prairie when all 16 of the slots on the trophy had been engraved. This letter sent to the Prairie Squares in 1966 from Portage la Prairie’s Portage Pairs and Squares demonstrates the enthusiasm produced by the flightless bird:
We are the couple who drove to Prince Albert Sask. and attended the swan dance held there Oct 10th of this year, and returned with the beautiful swan trophy.
On Nov 10th we held our swan dance which was a success. The Swan being taken home by a couple from Eston Sask., a distance of 600 miles from Portage la Prairie…
We thought you might be interested in hearing about the enthusiasm and determination shown by a couple from Swift Current who have tried unsuccessfully four times to bring the trophy home with them. The shortest distance they drove was 235 miles to Gladmar Sask. and the longest distance was 460 miles to Portage la Prairie, Man…
Well, this couple from Swift Current didn’t win the “bird” as yet but they did drive a total of 2758 miles in pursuit of it…
In its first flight path, the swan remained in Canada, travelling as far as Manitoba before returning to Grande Prairie. When the trophy was refitted with a new base after being returned to Grande Prairie, it was sent out again for a second time. The swan travelled between several different clubs in Saskatchewan, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Illinois, and Kentucky. After a decade of flight, the swan was put to rest in 1974. In those ten years, the swan was held by 31 clubs across three provinces and five states.